Monthly Archives: April 2013

This past Saturday, our local businesses and their patrons helped us celebrate our second Shop Local Day, and we couldn’t be more grateful for the support of those who helped make it happen. We thought our expectations couldn’t be exceeded a second time, however, 41% more merchants participated in last Saturday’s event than at our event in November.

Throughout the month, Chesapeake Bank was able to distribute over 5,000 shopping bags to both shoppers and merchants, over 250 “Buck Stays Here” decals and over 2,000 pieces of Shop Local freebies. As we signed up merchants to take part in Shop Local Day, the Williamsburg region blew us away by having almost 160% more participating merchants compared to our first Shop Local Day.

While we may take a few days to rest, pretty soon we’ll be hitting the ground running with our now semi-annual Shop Local event. Every April and November, Chesapeake Bank, with the help of local Chambers of Commerce, will continue to encourage patrons to keep their dollars in the community by shopping local.

Thanks again for all your help. We’ll be keeping you posted throughout the year on other news coming from your communities and local Chesapeake Bank branches.

Everyone from our employees to our merchants are getting excited for our second Shop Local event, taking place this Saturday at various businesses around Williamsburg, Lancaster, Gloucester and Mathews counties.

To date, we have over 260 merchants from the four counties who will be opening their doors to the community and offering incentives to come out and support local business, who in turn will support the community.

“When we organized our first Shop Local event last November, we had no idea we would garner the amount of support we did,” says Paula Milsted, Director of Marketing with Chesapeake Bank. “These local merchants are passionate about what they do – about their businesses, and we’re passionate about our communities and the people who support it. Supporting the people who support you – it’s a win/win.”

We are constantly updating our merchant lists (which also highlight their incentives for shopping on Saturday), as well as profiling some businesses on “It’s All About Community” and our social media pages.

In Gloucester? Swing by Buttons-N-Bows for children’s cloths, or The Silver Box for your jewelry needs. For our folks in Mathews, drop off your dry cleaning at Village Cleaners while you eat at Sandpiper Reef. If you’re in Lancaster for the day, head over to Papeterie and grab some new stationary or get those pictures off your camera and get them printed at Yours Truly Photography. Our Williamsburg shoppers have more than 100 participating businesses to choose from, including Virginia Gourmet and Closet Envy.

If you haven’t already, be sure to stop by your local Chesapeake Branch to pick up your free Shop Local shopping tote (that’s for you, too, merchants). Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post – we will be letting you know what other Shop Local goodies are available to pick up and grab.

From now through our spring Shop Local event, Chesapeake Bank wants to highlight some of the participating merchants throughout the region who are offering shoppers a little extra to come out and support their community businesses.

Started by Jarrett Stephens and Alison Drake, Show Off aims to bring a fresh, new shopping experience to Kilmarnock. The shop offers fun and fashionable clothes and accessories for women of all ages.

Shop Local Day Deal: 20% off your entire purchase and free gift with purchase for the first 10 shoppers

Store information: Show Off is located at 14 North Main Street in Kilmarnock. Visit them Monday – Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

What does “shop local” mean to you?

“As a shop owner, this is an opportunity to bring local people in the shop. Especially in our area, we rely on visitors and second home people,” says Alison Drake. “We would love to have more local people to at least try their local businesses.”

How does shopping local impact small businesses?

“The more support we get, the more we can offer,” says Jarrett Stephens. “[Meaning] more variety of products and the ability to give back more to the community.”

How did your business fare in last year’s Shop Local event?

“We saw people embracing the concept of Shop Local Day by carrying the bags around town. Some people really got into it,” says Drake. “There were more people out shopping. As more people get into it, business will pick up.”

From now through our spring Shop Local event, Chesapeake Bank wants to highlight some of the participating merchants throughout the region who are offering shoppers a little extra to come out and support their community businesses.

Back in 1997, when Quirks of Art was known as Kinks, Quirks & Caffeine, this shop was a bright, funky spot in a town known for its colonial look and feel. The store received local and national accolades in its first few years, helping it become a hot spot for locals from the beginning.

Renamed to Quirks of Art in 2011, store owner Jennifer Raines keeps the store stocked with beautiful, unique pieces of art from across the country. If you’re looking for the perfect gift for a friend, or yourself, check out Quirks’ inventory of handmade jewelry, pottery, hand painted glass, local art and clothing. And if you need a daily dose of Quirk when you can’t make it by the shop to explore its collection, check out the store’s blog. It’s chock full of recipes, DIY, store products and other little tidbits that are sure to brighten your day.

To learn more about Quirks of Art, continue reading its profile below.

Shop Local Day Deal: With any $100 purchase, receive a FREE whimsical clock (valued at $59).

With any $50 purchase, receive a FREE hand-painted wine glass (valued at $25).

Store information: Quirks of Art is located at The Shops at High Street, 1430 High Street #709, Williamsburg. The store is open daily from “noonish to 8ish.”

Fun Fact: Quirks of Art’s store dog is Zack. Be sure to give him a scratch behind the ears if you see him running around.

What does “shop local” mean to you?

“Shop Local means that when consumers have a choice of where to spend their money, that they choose to spend it at locally-owned shops, restaurants, hardware stores, etc,” says Jennifer Raines. “It is important because independent, locally-owned businesses create character in our communities, and give back at a higher rate than chains. Yet, they are going out of business at an alarming rate. Without this grassroots movement, main streets will eventually completely die out and be totally replaced with strip malls full of big-box chain stores…YUCK!”

Tell us about your participation in the last Shop Local Day.

“I was absolutely thrilled with last year’s Shop Local Day,” says Raines. “We had a 319% increase on that day over the previous year. I appreciate so much the fact that a local bank spent their resources trying to help out the little guys, like me. I appreciated it so much, that I relocated my banking to Chesapeake Bank, and I’ve been very happy with their service. I truly believe that consumers are beginning to really grasp the positive impact of their decisions as it relates to choosing to spend their hard-earned dollars with locally-owned, independent small businesses, retailers, and restaurants. Thank you to Chesapeake Bank and all of our loyal customers!”